


In the Summer Breeze

by PetitLu



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationship, Emotions (are expressed), Family Bonding (ish), Friendship, Gen, POV Yakov Feltsman, Post-Canon, Victor & Yakov's weird relationship, Yakov Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-27 20:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20413849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetitLu/pseuds/PetitLu
Summary: Yakov Feltsman does not indulge in idleness. But what else is there to do when you have just announced your retirement from coaching and are invited to spend your summer in a seaside town in Japan?Or, nothing happens but Yakov has feelings.





	In the Summer Breeze

**Author's Note:**

> This is posted as part of the 18OI summer event, based on the prompt "they had been together for 25 years".  
Thank you [Bearixt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bearixt/pseuds/Bearixt) for the beta

They had been together for forty-five years now, in some form or another. When Yakov looked at her, he no longer saw the beautiful, ethereal creature that had ensnared entire audiences at the Bolshoi. The woman in front of him was flesh and bones, all sharp angles and cutting words, but he still was as entranced by her as he had been that first time in Moscow. They had seen generations of skaters and dancers flourish and fall, they had married and separated, but through most of his adult life, Lilia Baranovskaya had been by his side.

He was looking at her profile, softer in the late afternoon sun of Hasetsu, when she raised a thin eyebrow. “Reminiscing again are you?” she asked.  
Yakov grumbled and smiled, embarrassed but happy, and returned to his book. He could feel her amusement, gentler than it would have been a couple of years ago, before she took Yuri Plisetsky under her wing and before Victor had foolishly run away to pursue his Life and love, Yakov, you might have given up on it because you could not bear the thought of Lilia being unhappy, but I haven’t. Stupid child. And yet, after seeing him and Katsuki together as student and coach, competitors, partners, Yakov had to admit the boy was right. He had never seen his student carefree and glowing like he was when his fiancé was next to him.

Yakov had announced his withdrawal from coaching, and an invitation to come to Hasetsu had followed the next day. Lilia had tagged along to work on Yura’s programs for the season, and there they were, next to each other, enjoying one of their only real vacations in years.

They stayed on the bench in the garden until the light started to decline. Yakov got up, paying no mind to his creaking knees, and offered a hand to Lilia. She took it and pulled him down towards her, playful. “How forward of you, Yakov Feltsman. Offering me your hand.” She laughed, a soft, crystalline sound that was in such sharp disconnect with how she presented herself to the world—it never failed to bring a soft twinge to Yakov’s heart.

After a second in which he stood frozen, staring at her, they both straightened up and headed towards the inn where they, at Katsuki’s parents’ invitation, were staying.  
They arrived at the same time as Victor and his fiancé, back from the beach, Yura grumbling but following behind them with an energetic Makkachin next to him. All four of them looked windswept and had sand in their hair, but the atmosphere in the group was joyous. Yura’s red face was, for once, due to the sun rather than teenaged feelings Yakov was glad he no longer had to deal with daily.

As they entered the dining room, they were joined by a smiling Hiroko Katsuki, followed by her husband. That woman was a blessing, Yakov knew. He had resented the Katsukis for a while, but they were the best family Vitya could have hoped for, and Yakov was infinitely grateful the boy he practically had raised had found people who were capable of giving him the unconditional love and welcoming home he never truly had.  
The evening went on in a wave of laughter and smiles, Hiroko filling up Vitya’s plate over and over, Mari teasing Yura, Lilia and Vitya’s Yuuri talking about dancing with Okukawa. Yakov just sat and enjoyed the moment.

***

The next day, both Yu(u)ris went with Minako and Lilia to practice their programs for the new season. Victor had been shooed out of the studio without ceremony, but he did not seem too sad about it. He went up to Yakov, Makkachin trotting behind him. “Do you want to join us? We’re walking to the beach while it’s not too hot.”  
Yakov nodded his assent, and together, they headed towards the beach. For the onlooker passing them, it would have looked entertaining; the enthusiastic man with his old companion grumbling the occasional response in Russian to an uninterrupted flow of words. For the both of them, however, it was therapeutic. No matter how gruff and angry Yakov liked to appear, no matter how unfailingly cheerful and carefree Victor presented himself, their relationship had been damaged, even before Vitya got to Hasetsu.  
The beach was empty when they arrived. They might be on vacation, but years of getting up at dawn and standing freezing on the edge of an ice rink left traces. The sun had risen over an hour ago, but the air was still cool and a soft breeze came from the ocean.

Victor unclipped Makka’s leash; the dog started sniffing around and running after the undisturbed seagulls. Vitya followed his dog’s movement with a fond look. Yakov turned to look at the beach and sat down. None of them spoke.

After a while, Vitya seemingly got bored of his dog’s antics and plopped down next to his coach. “I’m happy you’re here. I wasn’t sure you’d come,” he remarked in a small voice. Yakov turned to his student. Before he could reply, Victor continued, “I’m not sure I ever said, even when I came back to Russia, but I’m sorry.”  
Stunned, Yakov stared at his hands, crossed on his knees. Victor paused, and the look he gave his former coach made him seem very young.  
Yakov found his voice. “Of course I came. You and Yura would not shut up about this place, I had to know what had you so excited.” He inhaled. “No, that’s not right. I was angry at you. So angry. You leave and drag Yura with you, and then you come back just to announce those crazy plans? And go through with them? I…” He paused, struggling to form the words. “I never wanted anything else than happiness for you, but it was so… hard. I’m not good at this.” He choked and raised his gaze to his student. A tear rolled down Victor’s cheek. Yakov saw the hug come a second before he was engulfed in his arms. “I’m sorry, Vitya.” He could feel Victor’s breathing, trembling and unsure, but he did not speak.

He extracted himself from the hug and patted his companion on the back, at a loss for what to do. Vitya smiled, a shy, happy thing that was so, so far away from the Victor Nikiforov smile everybody was used to seeing.  
Makkachin, tired of chasing birds around, leaped back towards them. They got up without talking. Victor retrieved the leash he had dropped when hugging his coach, and they headed back to the inn for a belated breakfast.

***

The rest of the summer passed in a flash, lost in fireworks, trips to the countryside with Lilia, nights spent drinking with Toshyia Katsuki and an awkward talk with Vitya’s Yuuri about taking care of that boy they both loved so much in their own way.  
When the last day of their trip came around, Yakov was surprised to find himself wishing he could have stayed longer. As Victor and the Katsuki family waved at them while the taxi drove away, he felt incredibly thankful and proud, of his student and of himself, for coming so far.


End file.
